Court told of body found in Kerry bog

Two men plead not guilty to murder of Bruno Lemes de Sousa in early 2012

The body of a 28-year-old Brazilian man, who had been stabbed repeatedly after he had been bludgeoned, or struck, with a blunt instrument, was later found in a boghole outside Listowel, Co Kerry, a court heard yesterday.

John Paul Cawley (20) and Wenio Rodriguez Da Silva, (29), both of Ardoughter, Ballyduff, Co Kerry, have pleaded not guilty to murdering Bruno Lemes de Sousa, between February 16th and March 10th last year at Shroneowen Bog, Tullamore, Listowel.

Their trial opened before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of nine men and three women at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee.

A Garda witness told of seeing the body, with the hands tied together, floating in the bog on March 12th, 2012.

In evidence, Brenda Cawley, a sister of John Paul Cawley and former partner of Da Silva, recalled that de Sousa and Da Silva had a conversation in Portuguese in the kitchen at the house in Ballyduff.

At one point when Wenio had left the kitchen, she went in and spoke to Bruno.

She said she got “butterflies” when he said his name was Bruno, as Wenio had told her previously that Bruno had said her voice was “sexy and that she was probably hot”.

Later, she asked Wenio why Bruno was there and he said because he was going to beat him up.

After some time, she said she heard a thud and a loud noise. She went out and saw John Paul, Wenio and Bruno in the laundry room. Bruno, with his hands over his head, ducked down and Wenio had a bar in his hand.

She said Bruno asked her to call the guards, while Wenio told her to get out.

Loud noises
She heard two more loud noises and later met the three men and her other brother, Charlie, on the stairs.

Wenio was leading Bruno by a rope and he had his hands tied together.

Later, Wenio asked Sandra for her phone and when he returned it she saw two pictures of Bruno on it. His hands and legs were tied together.

Det Garda Owen Conway, an official Garda photographer, said he went to the bog on March 12th, 2012, and saw a male body floating in the water.

The hands were tied at the front with orange twine and a white shoe was also recovered.

He said also visited the dormer house at Ardoughter in Ballyduff and found blood marks on a Stira ladder and on timber beside the light switch in the attic.

Det Garda Conway also said the Garda water unit recovered a knife from a river near Ballyduff.